A Student's Account

Esta es una descripción del viaje a Irlanda, hecha por un estudiante español en la cual nos cuenta las cosas que hizo durante su estadía en Irlanda (el colegio, la familia, sus nuevos amigos). El texto está en inglés y es medio largo pero vale la pena leerlo.

  

A Student's Account(Jorge Bodes, aged 13 years, El Vedat School, Valencia, Spain)

"I wake up every day just as the alarm clock is about to ring and it’s almost 7:30am by the time I get out of bed. I have a quick shower, get dressed and then go downstairs for breakfast with the family. We usually have juice, a bowl of cereal, toast and tea. After breakfast I go to my bedroom to get my bag ready for school. I brush my teeth and I make the bed quickly.

The days I have school I normally leave the house at 8.20am. My ‘Irish mother’ gives me a packed lunch before I leave. I walk to the bus stop which is only five minutes from the house. I don’t have to wait too long as it arrives on time. We arrive in the school at 8:45am and I have a chat with my friends before the classes begin at 9am. When the bell rings I quickly go to my locker and get my books for the first three classes. There is a short break (15mins) after the third class. During the break I eat something small and talk with my class mates outside (if the weather is nice). The bell then rings again for the end of break.

We have three more classes after break and for me they're the ones I find most interesting. I have Spanish, English and Art. At around 1pm we have a longer break of about 45 minutes for lunch. I eat something more substantial during this break like a ham and cheese sandwich, some fruit and a drink and then I usually play football with my friends on the synthetic pitches opposite the main school building. Sometimes we play rugby which is a popular sport in Ireland but I don’t always play because I’m scared of getting injured!!

After the lunch break we have the last three classes of the day. The last class finishes at 3:50 and I put my books in my locker. Sometimes after school finishes I stay to participate in extra activities like football training or do an extra English class. After the activity I go home on the bus and after walking the short distance from the bus stop to the house I arrive home. It’s now around 5:00pm and the children in the family are already at home doing their homework. I have a snack when I come in as I’m a little hungry but not too much as dinner is only one hour away. When the father of the family arrives from work we sit down and have dinner. Tonight we are eating a casserole with meat and vegetables. We eat something different every night and many times we have international cuisine like pasta or pizza or Indian food. It’s great!

If it’s still bright after dinner and the weather is nice we go outside and play football with some of the other children who live in the neighborhood. I still have homework to do for tomorrow so I can't play for long. I spend an hour doing my homework and if it's not too late we usually watch television together or I play the play-station with the kids. At around 9:30pm I go to my bedroom and prepare myself for tomorrow. I read for half an hour and then I go to sleep."

On Saturdays I have English classes in Rockbrook, and then we go on a trip.  We do a different thing every Saturday, and I love it.  I spend the whole day with my friends and other students from other countries who have come here through Rockbrook International to study like me.  I didn’t know them at the start, but they are very nice, and we have a great time together.  On Sundays I

go to Mass in the morning and I go off with the family wherever they are going.  Breakfast on Sunday morning is very special, with bacon and egg, sausages, black and white pudding … they are the best! 

Well, these are my days Monday to Sunday in Ireland.  Doing this programme I have learnt a lot of English”